Lock.



A. L. SOHM.

LOCK.

APPLICATION FILED APR.18, 1912.

1,128,632, Patented Feb 16, 1915.

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ALFRED L. SOHM, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 SOHM ELECTRIC SIGNAL & RECORDING COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A. CORPORATION OF ARIZONA.

LOCK.

Application filed April 18, 1912.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ALFRED L. SoHM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Locks, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

My invention relates to looks and contemplates an improvement in that type of locks wherein the fiat keys, having the Yale code surface, are employed.

It is my particular ob ect to provide a lock which is practically impossible to open except by means of an authorized key and, as a final precaution, I provide an auxiliary feature which is really a lock in itself. The combination of this auxiliary feature and the main features of my lock is important, however, since it insists upon a certain combination in the structure of the key, and this emphasizes the difficulty of unauthorized duplication.

Broadly, it is the idea of my invention to employ a stationary element and a rotatable element and to provide one of said elements with a plurality of annular grooves and the other of said elements with a plurality of radially movable wards. The insertion of the key positions these wards with respect to the grooves and it then becomes possible to turn the rotary element relative to the stationary element. The wards must be accurately positioned so that they may enter the grooves and in order that the lock may be opened, they must be positioned simultaneously. The fact that there are a number of these wards makes it practically impossible to pick the lock since it would be practically impossible to hold all the wards 1n proper position at the same time without the use of the key, since they are located one in front of the other and by their own weight can be dropped. The rotary element of the lock, of course, carries the bolt thrower and it is a feature of my invention that this bolt thrower is normally in an inoperative position and can be brought into an operative position only by the insertion of the proper key. The annular grooves can be variously displaced and dummy grooves may be provided so as to mislead an unauthorized person in attempting to open the Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 16, 1915.

Serial No. 691,673.

lock. The various arrangements which may be had makes it impossible for anyone to know, from the outside of the look, just where the wards must be positioned and the difiiculty of ascertaining this is infinite since the grooves are protected and inaccessible.

My invention is embodied in the device illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevational view of my lock showing the key inserted; Fig. 2 1s a longitudinal vertical sectional View thereof showing the key inserted; Fig. 3 is a crosssectional view taken on the plane of the line 33 of Fig. 2 and looking in the direction indicated by the arrows; Fig. 4- is a rear end view of the lock; and Fig. 5 is an isolated detail view showing a modification.

Like reference characters are applied to the same parts throughout the various figures.

The stationary element which is adapted to be set firmly in a door, is in the form of a barrel 7 which has firmly secured on the inside thereof the annulus 8. In a suitable co-axial pocket in the front end of the annulus 8 a disk 9 is rotatably mounted, this disk being provided with a peripheral groove 10 into which the ends of the screws 11, 11 engaging in the barrel and the annulus extend. It will be noted that these screws, when the parts are in position, have their heads flush with the periphery of the barrel 7 and when the barrel is disposed properly in a door, these screws are inaccessible and hidden. Disposed in a coaxial pocket at the rear of the barrel is a disk 13 which is rotatable and which is connected with the disk 9 by means of a cylinder 14. The disks 9 and 13 and the cylinder 14 form the rotatable element of the lock and operate as a unit. The cylinder 14 and the disks are provided with a longitudinal key slot 15 which is adapted for the reception of a flat key 16 of the Yale type.

At the top the annulus 8 is provided with a longitudinal slot 17 which is directly over the top of the key slot when the latter is in its normal position. plurality of wards 18, 18, each of which is in the form of a shank carrying a head. The shanks are movable radially, respective to the axis of the lock, and move in apertures 19, 19 drilled through the cylinder 14 This slot 17 houses a l from the outside into the key slot. The heads are tapered inwardly for a purpose which will be described presently.

When the key 16 is inserted in the key slot, the code surface 0 thereof engages the inner ends of the shanks of the various wards and the heads of the wards are all brought into definite positions, considering their distances from the axis of the lock, and the precise distribution of these heads in this manner is that which effects the opening of the look as will be pointed out presently.

The annulus 8 is provided with a plurality of circular passageways 20, 20 formed in a manner to he described presently and opening at their ends into the slot 17, as clearly illustrated in the drawings. Such a passageway is provided for each of the wards. In other words, each ward has a passageway of its own and when it is brought into proper position, it may ride in that passageway. When all the wards are in position to ride in their respective passageways, the rotary element of the lock may turn relative to the stationary element thereof and it will be clear that such operation will be impossible if any one or more of the wards are out of position. The body of the key is adapted to fit snugly in the key slot so that its axial position may be determined and the shoulder 23 on the key is adapted to engage the face of the disk 9 so that the longitudinal position of the key may be determined. The key slot is supplemented by a side groove 25 which is adapted for the reception of a ridge 26 extending lengthwise of the key at the middle of one of the faces thereof. This determines the top and bottom position of the key.

Each of the passageways 20 is of general T-shaped cross-section, the heads of the wards being adapted to ride in the horizontal portions thereof and theshanks of the wards being adapted to ride in the radial portions thereof. The edges upon which the heads of the wards might rest are chamfered off at 21 and the sides of the slot 17, below the horizontal portions of the passageways, are cha nfered back as illustrated at 22. The purpose of this is that there may be no interference between the parts when the wards are supposed to drop and so that burglar could not pick the lock by hanging the heads of the wards upon the edges of the slots, theheadsbeing tapered, as described, so that they will slide off the cham- 'fered edges of the slots if such an attempt is made.

The annulus 8 is made up of. a plurality of sections 8 8 This is to facilitate the construction of the passageways therein. It will be seen that each of the sections may be easily turned out in a latheor stamped in dies and that when assembled the proper conformation is secured. The slots may be annulus merely a small distance.

variously distributed and the number of possible code surfaces is infinite. The open ends of the annular passageways are always protected by the cylinder and it would be impossible for anyone desiring to pick the lock to get access to these passageways. In order to make it all the more diflicult to pick the lock, I provide a plurality of dummy recesses 24, 24 which pass into the If the head of the corresponding ward should be brought into line with such a recess, it would, nevertheless, be impossible to open the'l'ock- In Fig. 5 l have illustrated a construction showing that the two parts of each passageway, due to the sectional construction ofthe annulus, are notnecessarily in exact register. That is, the horizontal portions of the slot are ofiset relatively to each other and a correspondingly formed ward is provided. When the key is removed the wards drop downof their own weightand if it is permitted to move the rotary element, the heads of thewards engage the sides of the slot 17 and such action is impossible. It will be seen that the degree of accuracy required,

may be very great and that variations in manufacture are easily produced. In order for the rotary member to turn relative to the stationary member, it is necessary that all of the wards be brought into exactly the proper position and that they be held there against the tension of the springs during the rotary movement. three of the wards be brought and held in the proper position, which is quite impos-, sible, the other wards would still engageone Even supposing that ice I of the faces of the annulus and rotation would be impossible. The disk 13 projects beyond the rear face ofthe barrel 7 and is provided with a diametrical dove-tail groove 31 of a depth approximately equal to the projection. A bolt-thrower 32 in the form of a slide is disposed in this dove-tail groove. The rear face of the barrel 7 is provided with an annular groove 33 and is also provided with a radial slot 34. in the plane of the axis of the dove-tail groove. A pin 35 is carried on the inner side of the slide bolt-thrower 32 and normally engages in the slot 34. It is held in this position by means of a spring 36 carried upon the disk 13 andits engagement in the slot determines the normal position of the boltthrower. It will be noted that the key is provided at its end with a surface 37 inclined to the axis.

The key is adapted to extend through a slot 38 in the boltthrower 32 and the surface 37 is adapted to engage the face 39 of the slot 38. The slot is in such position that when the key is inserted such engagement will cause the movement of the bolt thrower against the tension of the spring 36 to the extent of moving the pin 35 from the slot 3&

and bringing it into line with the annular slot 33. The parts are so proportioned that this arrangement will be assumed when the key is fully inserted and it will be seen that upon rotation the pin 35 may ride in the annular slot 33. If the bolt thrower is not properly moved by the key the pin 35 will not be moved from the slot 3& into line with the slot 33 and rotation will be impossible. The normal engagement of the pin 35 in the slot 3a is thus an additional precaution and the key must therefore be provided with the proper oblique surface and length in addition to the necessity for the proper code surface thereon. The barrel 7 is provided with a sliding portion 7 which provides for access to the slot 17.

I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In a look, a stationary element, a rotatable element, a radially movable ward carried by said rotatable element, said stationary element having an individual annular groove in which said ward may ride in turning the key.

2. In a lock, a stationary element, a rotatable element, a radially movable ward carried by said rotatable element and having a projection parallel to the axis of the lock, said stationary element having an annular groove in which said projection may ride.

3. In a look, a stationary element, a rotatable element, and a plurality of radially movable wards carried by said rotatable member, said stationary element having a corresponding plurality of individual annular grooves in which said wards may ride in turning the key.

4. In a lock, a stationary element, a rotatable element, and a plurality of radially movable wards carried by said rotatable member, said stationary element having a corresponding plurality of annular passageways in which said wards may ride, said wards being held out of line with the entrance to said passageways by gravity.

In a look, a stationary element, a rotatable element, and a plurality of radially movable wards carried by said rotatable member, said stationary element having a corresponding plurality of annular passageways in which said wards may ride, said wards being adapted to be brought into line with said passageways by a key.

6. In a lock, a stationary member, a rotatable member, a radially movable ward on one of said members, an annular passageway on the other of said members in which said ward may ride, and means for normally holding said ward out of line with said passageway.

7. In a look, a stationary element in the form of an annulus having a longitudinal slot and having a plurality of concentric passageways, said passageways being of T- shaped cross-section, a rotatable cylinder in said annulus, a plurality of wards sliding radially in said cylinder, each of said wards having a head adapted to ride in the horizontal portion of the corresponding passageway, and said wards extending into a longitudinal key slot in said cylinder.

8. In a lock, a stationary element, a rotatable element, a radially movable ward carried by said rotatable element, said stationary element having an annular passageway in which said ward may ride, a bolt thrower sliding diametrically in said member, a pin on said bolt thrower, there being an annular groove in said stationary member in which said pin may ride, means for normally maintaining said pin out of line with said groove, and a key having an ob lique end engaging with a slot in said thrower to move said pin into line with said groove when brought into line by the insertion of a key.

9. In a look, a stationary element, a rotatable element, a radially movable ward carried by said rotatable element and projecting from said element on one side only of the key, said stationary element being provided with an individual annular groove in which said ward rides when the key is turned.

10. In a look, a stationary element, a rotatable element, a radially movable ward lying entirely on one side of the key and carried by said rotatable element, said stationary element having an individual groove in which said ward may ride when the key is turned.

11. In a look, a stationary element, a rotatable element, means to lock said elements against rotation, an annular groove in said stationary element, a transverse groove in the movable element, a slide in said groove, a pin mounted on said slide, said pin normally out of line with said groove, said looking means being released and said pin being brought into register with said annular groove when the key is inserted in the look.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 11th day of April, A. D. 1912.

ALFRED L. SOHM.

Witnesses:

ARTHUR H. BOETTCHER,

ALBIN C. AHLBERG.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C." 

